It was yet another goal feast in the NPLW WA, with every game in Round 13 having a minimum of six goals. There were also new or returning goalkeepers in every game and new or acting coaches in all but one game.
By the end of the round, a seven-point gap had opened up at the top of the table, the race for the top four continued to have twists and turns whilst the bottom-of-the-table team doubled the number of goals it has scored this season.
CURTIN UNIVERSITY 2 – 6 PERTH SC
Following on from their excellent win in round 12, Perth SC were looking to maintain their push for a top-two finish by securing the three points against an embattled Curtin University at a chilly Edinburgh Oval on Friday night.
They were without coach Peter Rakic, who was in India at the Women In Sports Elite Trials, and gave a starting debut to young keeper Amalia Caceres as well as Amy Tulp.
Curtin also made a change in their goal-keeping department as Emmanuella Adu-Pipim Boaduo came in for Danielle Petch.
Curtin held on until the 18th minute when Jess Flannery scored for the visitors, and this was the first of four goals scored in 14 minutes as Perth threatened to inflict a fourth successive heavy defeat on their opponents.
Ella Lincoln (26th minute), Stella Zampogna (29th minute) and Flannery again (32nd minute) were the scorers. Curtin then produced a goal of their own in the 42nd minute when Olivia Tangney benefitted from some good work by Tiana Botha to tap in from close range.
Zampogna then scored her second goal of the game in the 53rd minute, but Curtin defended resolutely for the rest of the half and scored their second goal of the game in the 78th minute when Botha hit a shot from the edge of the area to register her side’s fourth goal of the campaign. Perth SC hit an injury-time goal in the 93rd minute through Lincoln to make the final score 6-2.
The win for Perth has pushed them to within a point of Fremantle City in second place. They face Subiaco in the next round knowing that three points will keep the pressure on Fremantle and also close the gap on Perth RedStar to five points who have a bye next weekend.
With this result, Curtin doubled their goal tally for the season and produced two goals in a game for the first time since round 17 in 2022. They face Balcatta Etna in the next round and will be hoping to build on this performance to try and gain some momentum for the remainder of the season.
MUM FC 0 – 6 BALCATTA ETNA
Saturday evening was another chilly night as MUM FC entertained a Balcatta Etna side containing Tia Stonehill, Sadie Lawrence and Baxter Thew from their treble-winning 2021 side.
The visitors also had a new coach looking after them with Yash Pratap stepping up from the assistant coach position after Tim Cash resumed his role as Head of Female Football.
The home team were without goalkeeper Stacey Cavill, with Andrea Preiato stepping into the role.
For Balcatta this game was one they couldn’t afford to lose if they were to keep pace with their rivals for the top four positions, whilst MUM FC were hoping to open a nine-point gap on their opponents and keep a one-point gap between them and third-placed Perth SC, so there was a lot of incentive for both sides to win.
After a cagey opening quarter of an hour, Balcatta took the lead in the 17th minute. Good work down the right wing from Monique Prinsloo saw her break free of her markers and square the ball across the six-yard box for the unmarked Stonehill to tap in.
The visitors then doubled their lead in the 28th minute when Thew headed home from a corner to score her first goal in Balcatta colours since returning to the WA NPLW after a spell with Blacktown Spartans in the NSW NPLW.
The score remained 2-0 at the break, but an injury to MUM FC’s Katie Schubert meant she didn’t return in the second half and the home team now had a very inexperienced back four in front of a stand-in goalkeeper.
It took just four minutes after the restart for Balcatta to extend their lead to 3-0 with Prinsloo capitalising on a mistake from the defence as they tried to play out from the back. Her shot was parried by Preiato but the rebound hit defender Rosie Lehane to go in for an own goal.
Stonehill added her second of the night in the 67th minute when Epril Nossent played her in behind the MUM defence and she made no mistake in slotting the ball home to make it 4-0.
MUM were shell shocked by this stage and Balcatta were running rampant. A fifth was added in the 79th minute when Kim McCartney hit a shot from just outside the box that bounced just before Preiato and nestled in the net to make it 5-0.
The icing on the cake was then applied by Stonehill in the 89th minute when she rounded the keeper to complete her hat trick and make the final score 6-0. This was her twelfth goal of the campaign and she’s currently in joint second spot in the race for the golden boot.
This was a hugely important win for Balcatta as it has steadied the ship after their recent run of three games without a win and propels them back into finals contention. They are still in sixth spot but are only five points behind fourth-placed NTC with a game in hand. Their next game is against Curtin and with NTC not playing next week, they may well be just two points behind by the end of round 14 and could potentially have boosted their goal difference significantly.
MUM FC have now won just one of their last five games and they face Fremantle next. They will slip further behind in the race for the top four if they lose, and coach David Biancuzzo will no doubt be working hard on the training track this week to prepare his young team for a game that will be a big test of their top four credentials.
PERTH REDSTAR 7 – 0 SUBIACO AFC
Heading into this game the leaders and current champions had a four-point lead over second-placed Fremantle City with a vastly superior goal difference, but they knew that any slip-up would leave the door open for Fremantle.
Their opponents have had a difficult season, but a draw against Balcatta Etna had shown that Subiaco are capable of competing with most teams in the league so they could not be taken for granted. They were without coach Greg Farrell who was away, so U21s coach and ex-Balcatta Etna coach Steve Atkins took charge of the team for the day.
From the opening whistle, it was obvious that Carlos Vega-Mena’s team were determined to take maximum points and Subiaco’s goalkeeper, Ashleigh Riddle, was in action inside the first minute when she saved an Olivia Wood effort.
The pressure continued and the opening goal arrived in the ninth minute when Renee Leota rolled her marker just outside the box before firing a low shot into the left-hand side of the net to score her seventh goal of the campaign.
Subiaco nearly had an equaliser in the 15th minute when Dakota Van-Vugt burst clear of the RedStar defence but she pulled her shot just wide of the onrushing Maya Diederichsen in the RedStar goal.
The home team then doubled their lead in the 31st minute when Wood slid a ball across the six-yard box to an unmarked Chiori Ikeda to tap in. Riddle landed awkwardly trying to cut out the cross and injured her shoulder in the process. She had to come off and was replaced in goal by Louise Gishbul, who became the fourth keeper Subiaco has used so far this season.
Goal number three for RedStar came in the 35th minute. Subiaco were put under enormous pressure by RedStar as they tried to clear their lines and the ball finally landed with Reina Kagami about 20 metres out. She took one touch and then hit a right-foot shot over Gishbul for her 12th goal of the season.
She added her second and her sides fourth just three minutes later. A sweeping move by RedStar out of defence ended with Ikeda receiving the ball on the right wing. She found Wood in the box and her shot was blocked by the Subiaco defence, but she quickly gathered the rebound and squared the ball to Kagami on the far post, and her first-time shot gave Gishbul no chance to make it 4-0 at the break.
Subiaco came out for the second half with more aggression and intent but were unable to produce any sustained pressure on RedStar who slowly but surely turned the screw again and a fifth goal arrived in the 62nd minute. A Subiaco attack was snuffed out just inside the RedStar half and the ball was moved quickly to Jay Coleman. She quickly fed the ball to Kagami and the Japanese midfielder let fly from around 25 metres to score her hat trick and 14th goal of the season to put her two goals clear in the race for the golden boot.
A sixth goal in the 71st minute was more down to luck than skill as an attempted clearance by the Subiaco defence cannoned off Leota and into the net. Abbey Wooley put the full stop on a fine team performance when she scored the seventh goal in the 78th minute which is her third goal in as many games.
RedStar coach Carlos Vega-Mena was understandably happy with the result when he spoke after the game;
“Subiaco has been improving under Greg Farrell and we always expect a tough game against them. He has worked hard to ensure they are well organised and well coached,” he said.
“We went out onto the pitch determined to get the 3 points. The girls played good football, using strong combination plays. It was pleasing to see them moving the ball around and taking their chances in front of goal.”
The team now has a break for a week as their next opponent, Hyundai NTC, will be taking part in the NTC challenge over the next two weeks.
Subiaco coach Steve Atkins was honest enough to admit his team couldn’t match the levels of RedStar for much of the game;
“A trip away to Redstar knowing the form they are in was always going to be a tough game,” he said.
“They are well-managed by Carlos and are enjoying the benefits of their consistency and strength in the league.
“Unfortunately an intense first twenty minutes (that saw us) concede a goal, and losing our goalkeeper to a shoulder injury didn’t help and we found ourselves in a tough position going into halftime.
“I actually thought we held them well for 20 minutes or so in the second half, but again some quality goals killed the game. The girls will bounce back (but) it was a tough day.”
Subiaco host Perth SC in the next round and, whilst their season is effectively over in terms of a top-four challenge, they will want to show the rest of the league that they are still capable of giving teams a hard game.
HYUNDAI NTC 5 – 3 FREMANTLE CITY FC
This game was one that both sides badly wanted the three points from. Fremantle City wanted to ensure the gap between themselves and league leaders Perth RedStar didn’t get any bigger, whilst NTC knew that a win would allow them to move back into the top four.
NTC welcomed goalkeeper Lily Bailey back after a long absence following an injury sustained in the round six game between these two teams in May, whilst Fremantle also had a change in their goalkeeper position with ex-MUM FC keeper Danelle Cornish filling in with Dayle Schroeder unavailable.
NTC had the best of the opening exchanges with Tanika Lala proving to be a handful down the right and she nearly opened the scoring with a shot that crashed off a post in the 18th minute.
Lala was again in the thick of things for the opening goal in the 33rd minute. She broke free of Catherine Adams to get into the box on the right and then squared a ball across the six-yard area to a totally unmarked Ischia Brooking. She had the simplest of tasks to tap the ball home and score her third goal in as many games and her fourth of the season.
The lead only lasted three minutes though as Fremantle City struck back through Kayla McCulloch. Tash Rigby capitalised on a missed header by the NTC defence to slide a ball into Olivia Trueman in the box. Her initial touch was heavy but the NTC defence couldn’t clear and the ball ended up back with Trueman. She laid the ball off to McCulloch and her shot hit the underside of the bar of the bar before going in to make the score 1-1.
NTC went back ahead in stoppage time when Brooking turned a neat ball into the path of Lala who was unmarked in the box. Her first shot was saved by Cornish but she put the rebound away to make the score 2-1. The Fremantle defenders were claiming offside but after consultation with the linesman, the referee pointed to the centre circle to indicate that the goal was good.
Fremantle nearly snatched an equaliser in the 51st minute when Jamie-Lee Gale hit a shot that bounced back off the crossbar, but it was to be the home side who were to score the next goal.
In the 68th minute a shot by Violet Longmore was blocked and found its way to Grace Johnston who hit a first-time shot from outside the box. This seemed to be misread by Cornish as it crept into the corner of the net to make it 3-1, giving Johnston her fourth goal of the season and her third in three games.
Fremantle were not going to go down without a fight though and they struck back with a goal of their own in the 77th minute. Mischa Anderson seemed to be fouled as she tried to play the ball out from defence but the referee said play on. The ball ended up with Trueman and she played it across to substitute Mikayla Lyons who stroked the ball into the net to make it 3-2 and set up a grandstand finish for the last 13 minutes.
Back came NTC as the game really started to open up and it was another substitute, Louise Tana, who scored for them in the 82nd minute. Violet Longmore broke down the right wing and her superb cross was met by the onrushing Tana who used her stomach to propel the ball over the line and make it 4-2.
There was still more drama to come though with Fremantle scoring just two minutes later. Gale sent a deep cross beyond the far post where Lyons had ghosted in unmarked and she hit a fabulous volley from an acute angle to steer the ball in to make it 4-3.
With just five minutes to go the last and best of the eight goals scored in this highly entertaining game was scored by the NTC. Driving towards the Fremantle penalty area, Lala was fouled by Annabelle Leek some 25 metres out from the goal by Annabelle Leek who picked up a yellow card in the process. NTC Captain Georgia Cassidy stepped up to take the free kick and she curled an absolute belter into the top left-hand corner to make it 5-3 and secure the three points for her team.
The win is a big confidence boost for the NTC as they now take a week off to play in the National NTC Challenge which starts on the 10th of July. The three points also move them back into the top four and halt a run of results that has seen them win just one of their previous six games.
The loss for Fremantle puts them seven points behind Perth RedStar, just one point ahead of Perth in third place and three points in front of the NTC in fourth. Coach Faye Chambers will be looking to her side to bounce back in their next game against MUM FC and take advantage of RedStar not playing to try and get the deficit back to four points ahead of a crunch game between the two teams in a fortnight’s time.
Click here for the Round 13 goal highlights.
League Standings after NPLW WA Round 13
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points | Form | ||
| 1 | Perth RedStar | 13 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 45 | 6 | +39 | 32 | WWWDW |
| 2 | Fremantle City | 13 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 40 | 24 | +16 | 25 | LWWWW |
| 3 | Perth SC | 13 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 46 | 16 | +30 | 24 | WWDDW |
| 4 | Hyundai NTC | 13 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 34 | 28 | +6 | 22 | WLWDL |
| 5 | MUM FC | 13 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 39 | 28 | +11 | 20 | LWDDL |
| 6 | Balcatta Etna FC | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 32 | 19 | +13 | 17 | WLLDW |
| 7 | Subiaco AFC | 12 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 26 | 34 | -8 | 7 | LLLDL |
| 8 | Curtin University | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 4 | 111 | -107 | 0 | LLLLL |
Round 14 Fixtures
Sunday 9th July
BALCATTA ETNA FC vs CURTIN UNIVERSITY FC – Grindleford Reserve 3:00 pm
FREMANTLE CITY vs MUM FC – Hilton Park 3:00 pm
SUBIACO AFC vs PERTH SC – Rosaie Park 3:00 pm
GOLDEN BOOT STANDINGS
14 – Reina Kagami (Perth RedStar FC)
12 – Sam Mathers (MUM FC)
12 – Tia Stonehill (Balcatta Etna FC)
8 – Jamie Duncanson (Perth SC)
8 – Jessica Johnson (Hyundai NTC)
8 – Klaudia Houlis (Hyundai NTC)
8 – Monique Prinsloo (Balcatta Etna FC)
8 – Renee Leota (Perth RedStar FC)
